Happy December!

We are just about getting into the swing of things. I am so excited to start back with all of the students and helping to grow them into young musicians. I wanted to share many pieces of information with all of you. In this newsletter, I will be going over many things that I have told your students or will tell them over the next few weeks.

Goals

Every month I will have some goals for all of the students to work towards. This month, my goal for the students is to remember what day they have lessons and bring in their instruments and required materials. (See lower section called “Coming to Class”)

In their first lesson, I explained to all of the students that I had a few goals for them at the end of the year.

• The first goal I have for them is that they are all ready to move on to Middle School strings and when they do, they feel confident, and well-prepared for the demands of day to day string playing.

• The second goal I have for them is to have a sense of good practice habits. (More details on practicing in the “Practice” section).

• The third goal I have is that they have a proper framework for posture (both seated and standing, except for cello and bass), bow hold, and bow control.

• Last, and certainly not least. We have fun making music and honing our musicianship.

Practicing

By now, I assume many of you have signed, seen, or hopefully at the least heard of the practice logs that the students have. Practicing is a large part of a player’s journey. It is nearly impossible to learn an instrument if you do not practice. I added the points system in an attempt to motivate students to practice more, but this should still be reinforced by responsible adults.

My goal for the beginning string students (years 1-3) would be for 5 days of practice in a week with at least 15 minutes per day. This does not have to be a consecutive practice section, it could be split up in the day. I purposefully made it possible for students to earn two points, double than what they would make from 15 mins, by practicing for just 5 minutes per day more. They earn 2 points when they practice 20 points in a day. It is important to note that in order for students to get obtain points, both the student and a parent/guardian must sign the bottom of the sheet. The amount of minutes practiced should also be logged in the boxes towards the top of the page.

String and Instrument Care

As the winter quickly approaches, it is important to remember that these instruments are made of wood and need to be cared with this in mind.

• First, a reminder that instruments should never be left in a car. The temperature could be hot one day and also in the 30’s at night, this is not great for the instrument as the wood will expand and shrink, which could lead to damages, and at the very least, the instrument will go out of tune. I hope to teach students how to tune their instruments with fine tuners later on in the year, but if their instrument goes out of tune it will be hard for them to be able to practice.

• Second, student should use a cloth to gently wipe the strings after playing on them. They should also wipe under the strings to get any loose rosin that may have fallen on the instrument. If rosin is left on the wood, it could damage the varnish.

• Third, when we start using the bow I explain how the bow should look.

  • The picture below is a baroque style bow. The curve of the bow goes slightly upward.

    

    Baroque Bow: Curve is like the top half of a circle

• If their bow is too tight and it looks more like the baroque style, please instruct them to loosen their bows just a bit.

Rosin

When selecting and using rosin, there are many factors/questions that may arise. What kind of rosin should I use? Light rosin or Dark Rosin? Should I buy cheap rosin or expensive rosin? How often do I need to use rosin? What the heck is rosin, and why is it important?

You may have asked yourself or your student some, all, or none of these questions. Let’s start with the what and the why. Rosin is made of pine sap, as well as a few other ingredients depending on what company is making it, and it is used on a bow. When applied to the hair of the bow, it helps the bow to create the friction needed to play on the strings. Essentially, it makes the bow sticky so when it is pulled across the string it makes the string vibrate with more efficiency.

The kind of rosin really doesn’t impact the playing at the current level. That being said, there are many different types of rosin and different brands. Most music stores in the area carry at least some kind of rosin. As is the case with many things, Amazon is an easy, convenient, and fast way to get rosin. I will post a short list of my personal favorite rosins. There are typically two types of Rosins used: Light and Dark. Some players use different rosins based on the temperature; Light rosin is a little harder and less sticky than the Dark Rosin and is typically used during the Summer time. Whereas dark rosin is stickier and softer and is used in the winter. Again, for now, it doesn’t matter which one you choose, and you can use it all year round. Violin, and Viola players are able to use their rosins pretty much interchangeably. Cellos generally use a medium sticky rosin, but can also use the other two types of rosin too. Bass Rosin is much stickier and should only be used for bass.

Thankfully, rosin (even nicer rosin) is not crazy expensive. Rosin, if cared for properly, can last for a very long time, so it’s an investment that will last. It can be purchased for anywhere between $4 and $60. Below are just some of my recommendations. As a general rule of thumb, I usually say to stay away from rosins that come as packs of more than one. I also avoid rosins that are in a cheaper plastic, or cardboard cover.

Every year, students are told differently how to properly use rosin. Many students learn that you must scratch the surface of the rosin in order for it to work. In my opinion, this is not the case, plus it lessens the longevity of the rosin itself. Just like when you are playing on a string, if you move the bow back and forth with some pressure, you will get the rosin to go on your bow. If you have a brand new piece of rosin, it will take a little longer to get it started.

So, what is the best way to use the rosin and how often should rosin be put on? As students start to get more familiar with playing, they will experience what it feels like to play with rosin and play needing rosin. For now, I encourage putting rosin on the bow about 2-3 times per week, depending on how much practice is happening. To put rosin on, I like to go quickly first by moving the bow hair across the rosin cake. Usually, I will travel up and down the bow a few times. Then, I will finish by going only one direction (from frog to tip). If there is excess rosin on the hair (you can see a lot of specks) it is okay to lightly tap it against the ground.

Concert Dates and Times

Unfortunately, due to the strike I haven’t been able to get in touch with the person in charge of scheduling. I proposed a date, but due to the length of the strike and subsequent less time with the students, I am going to try and hope for a March concert and a June concert. I apologize for the lack of information and will update everyone as soon as I can hammer out the details.

Coming to Class

Hopefully by now your student knows the day and time that they have lessons. One of biggest goals for this month is making sure they remember these two things and are ready for their lesson. There are times where teachers may forget things, so I hope the students can work together to remember when they have a lesson and that they need to go so that they are on time.

Emergencies

Almost everyone will at some point have a string “emergency.” This could take the form of a broken string, or a broken bridge, or many other things. In the event that something happens, do not panic. Many things can be easily fixed. If you are renting an instrument, I suggest you get in touch with the rental companies as soon as they are open. In many cases, they will swap the broken instrument for one that is not broken. If you happen to own your instrument, I would have you email me first and I may refer you to a local luthier.

Final Words

First of all, if you are reading this, thank you for reading the newsletter. Do you know the old saying “how do you get to Carnegie Hall?” The answer is always “practice, practice, practice.” I disagree with this statement. My answer would be: by making the decision to play an instrument and put the same amount of effort into it as I would any other thing that I love in my life.